


want you back

by ztara (minyrd)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, this thought struck my gc and i couldnt sleep til it was written, thx, uh yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:13:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25755652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minyrd/pseuds/ztara
Summary: Katara broke up with Zuko for Aang. So why was she so upset when Zuko got a new girlfriend?
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 82





	want you back

Zuko and Katara were just so different that their relationship should’ve crashed and burned as quickly as it had started. A month after the start of their relationship, when Aang transferred to Ba Sing Se High, Katara sat herself down and thought about the pros and cons of her relationship with Zuko. Pros: they could talk for hours without running out of things to say, he could guess what she needed before she even opened her mouth, they rounded out each other's rough edges, and despite only being together for a month, Zuko knew her better than anyone, maybe even her family. Con: their fights were as heated as a city on fire, they were both so stubborn that it was almost laughable, and they came from completely different worlds. Where Katara came from a happy family, Zuko came from a volatile home situation. Even though Zuko had been living with his Uncle Iroh since the start of junior year, he had scars that she couldn’t even begin to fathom. Katara broke up with Zuko the following Monday.

-

“Katara!” A familiar voice called from behind her. She turned, smiling as Aang approached her.

“How are you?” Aang asked after he greeted her with a kiss, their hands intertwined between them.

“Great. Although, I’ve got a test today in my History class that I’m not sure I’m prepared for,” she admitted, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Oh, that sucks,” Aang said absentmindedly before he perked up. “ Did you know that auditions for the school play were today? I’m going to try out. I was wondering if you wanted to come and watch?”

Katara sighed, “You know that I have to study today. I’ve got a math test at the end of the week.”

Her boyfriend groaned loudly, pulling his hand from hers. “Come on, Katara! You can study after my audition. Or tomorrow! The test is two days away. I want my girlfriend there to support me.”

Her lip went between her teeth again. Aang always seemed to put himself first, never thinking about what she wanted. He  _ was  _ her boyfriend though, and she wanted to be supportive. “Fine, I’ll be there,” she agreed reluctantly.

The couple continued walking towards Katara’s first period, Aang pulling her along by the hand, but as they passed the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the parking lot, a pair of black-clad figures by a motorcycle caught her eye. She could recognize Zuko anywhere; his broad shoulders blocking the face of the girl he was with. Katara watched as he reached up, pulling a leaf out of the girls straight, black hair, his head tipping back in a laugh. 

_ “Zuko, that is the last time I ever ride that thing!” Katara laughed out, pulling the helmet off her head. She slid off the motorcycle seat, her long hair a mess from the wind.  _

_ Zuko laughed as he stored their helmets, his back to her. “Here I thought you were enjoying yourself.” He turned and stepped closer to Katara, their bodies an inch apart. “I didn’t hear you complaining while you were hugging me as tight as you could.”  _

_ Zuko punctuated his sentence by leaning down and capturing her lips with his. As they pulled apart, Zuko began laughing. His fingers went to Katara’s hair, pulling several leaves out of the thick curls. _

Katara shook her head as if to shake the memory from her brain. Zuko was in her past; she didn’t need to be hung up on a boy  _ she  _ broke up with. Her grip on Aang’s hand tightened. She chose to be with Aang, and once Katara made a choice, it was very rare that she changed her mind. Outside her first period English class, Katara bid Aang farewell with a light kiss. She turned to go into her class, but was stopped in her tracks when she saw Zuko and who she guessed was his new girlfriend. She realized with a start that it was Mai, the girl that she sat behind. Mai’s back was pressed up against the dark green lockers, her face tilted up to look at Zuko, whose own face was a mere inch away from hers. His arm was braced against the locker above Mai’s head, closing the two off to the majority of the hallway. A hot flash of anger coarsed through Katara’s veins before she composed herself. Zuko wasn’t her boyfriend anymore, and she was over him anyway. She shouldn’t be angry that he’s moving on with a gorgeous girl. Katara averted her eyes from the couple, quickly walking to her seat to get ready for class.

The bell rang, the students milling around the classroom moving to take their seats. Katara kept her eyes on her notebook as Mai dropped into her seat, bag flopping onto the floor. Mai got settled, turning her head to look at the posters on the wall boredly, chin in her hand, her dark eyes never looking in Katara’s direction. Sitting back in her seat, Katara began to study Mai’s profile. She had the same pale skin as Zuko, her features just slightly sharper than his. Where Zuko’s eyes were golden, Mai’s were dark. Suddenly, those dark eyes slid over to look at Katara, who had definitely been staring too long. 

“Can I help you?” Mai asked in a bored tone, her voice flat.

“Uh, no. Nothing. Nevermind,” Katara stammered out, her cheeks warm. 

Thankfully, their teacher cleared her throat and began the class. As hard as she tried to focus, Katara’s mind continued to stray to the girl sitting in front of her who had captured Zuko’s attention. What had Mai done to get Zuko to notice her?

_ She was sitting at her lunch table by herself, an open bag of chips next to the syllabus she was reading. Katara tried to ignore how awkward she felt sitting by herself, but Suki and Toph needed to get their schedules changed, so they were skipping lunch to talk to the counselors. A lunch tray slammed down loudly next to her, the noise making Katara jump and whip her head to look at the noisemaker. The boy was tall with broad shoulders, his shaggy black hair falling in his face. What stood out about him the most was the angry scar that covered his left eye, the deep red skin standing out against his otherwise pale complexion.  _

_ “Um, can I help you?” Katara asked, her eyebrows knitted together as the boy dropped into the seat.  _

_ “No. You just had the only open seat in this cafeteria,” the boy said nonchalantly. Katara glanced around, counting at least six empty seats scattered around the room. She turned back to the boy, mouth already opening to call out his obvious lie. _

_ “I’m Zuko, just transferred from Caldera City High. You?” He asked before Katara could get her words out.  _

_ “Uh, Katara. I’ve lived here since I was seven,” she told him. “Why’d you transfer here? Caldera’s probably way better than Ba Sing Se High.” _

_ Zuko froze, his fork halfway to the cubed fruit. Katara internally groaned, she’s put her foot in it now. Zuko finally moved again and stabbed a watermelon chunk. _

_ “I just moved in with my uncle. He’s got a tea shop out here. The Jasmine Dragon?” He responded after a moment, his voice a little more strained than before. _

_ “Oh, I pass it on my way to school! I live a few blocks from there,” she said brightly, happy to change topics. _

_ “Yeah? We live over the shop.” The conversation continued easily from there, the pair jumping from topic to topic. As everyone began throwing away their trash, Zuko went a little red, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.  _

_ “Could I walk you to class?” He asked with a small smile. _

_ Katara grinned at him, nodding. By the time Katara was seated in her fourth period class, they had already exchanged numbers and made plans to meet after school. _

After an hour of trying to focus to no avail, the bell rang to signal class changes. Katara gathered her belongings as quickly as she could, knowing that Zuko would be meeting Mai here like he had waited for her just a month before. However, the spirits seemed to hate her because in her haste to get away, she ran into the very person she was trying to avoid. 

“Oh, Zuko, um, hi,” she stammered out, her hand touching her forehead lightly where it bumped into his chest.

“Katara,” was all he said, his voice strained, before Mai swooped by, easily grabbing his hand and dragging him away with a “Come on, Zuko.”

The interaction happened so quickly that by the time Katara processed it, she was already staring at the couple’s backs and Aang was bounding up to her with the excitement of a puppy. He took her hand and pulled her along to their shared second period. As they sat down in their adjacent seats, Aang chattered away about his upcoming audition.

_ “Zuko, I don’t get what the problem is. I literally just asked you to come to Sokka’s birthday dinner on Friday. He’s visiting from college just to come to dinner. Suki’s coming! Why don’t you wanna come?” Katara asked, her irritation bleeding into her words. She hoped the promise of Suki would get him to reconsider since the two of them were fast friends. _

_ Her boyfriend groaned, “I told you. You said it’s a family dinner; I’m not busting in on that. I don’t see why I need to be there.” _

_ She sighed. “Zuko. I want you there. My family wants you the-” _

_ “Your family doesn't want me there,” Zuko interrupted. “Do they even like me?” _

_ “Well, they don’t  _ **_know_ ** _ you, Zuko. Because you never let them get to know you. You won’t come to family dinners, you try to avoid them at all costs, and when you do talk to them, it’s like pulling teeth,” she responded, crossing her arms. _

_ Zuko began to rub his scar, something he only did when irritated. “That’s because your family wouldn’t like me if they got to know me. I’ve seen the way your dad and brother look at me when I pick you up. They don’t trust me with you!” _

_ “That’s absurd! Ugh, they’re just overprotective. They would stop looking at you like that if you would just talk to them!” Their volume was slowly increasing, drawing attention from a few passing students.  _

_ “I don’t know how to! What am I even supposed to talk about, Katara? The weather? School? My fucked up family that left me with this?” He emphasized the last word with a pointed finger at his scar. _

_ Katara began to scratch where her thumb met her palm, her tone scary calm. “Zuko. How many times do I have to tell you that they won’t care about your family?” _

_ “Oh, Katara, but they will! My father burned half my face! He threatened to do the same to my sister! In case you forgot, that’s why I moved here in the first place! Your father, your mother, your brother, they’ll look at me like I’m crazy, like I have the same violent genes as my dad! Once your family gets to know me, they’ll tell you that I’m dangerous, that you shouldn’t be with me! Your perfect family is going to hate me the second they figure out how fucked up my gene pool is,” Zuko finished bitterly, his face screwed up in anger. _

_ “Fine! You don’t have to come to the dinner! You win! I’ll see you later.” At that, Katara whirled around, storming into her second period and trying to ignore the stinging feeling in her eyes. _

_ She dropped into her seat and dropped her head onto the desk with a thud. “Uh, hey, that sounded pretty bad. Are you okay?” _

_ Katara looked to her left, her right ear pressing against the cool tabletop. The boy, who she had never seen before, was looking at her with worry. “Why do you care?” She mumbled, already returning back to her original position. _

_ “Well, you seem pretty upset. You’re also just pretty.” _

_ She looked at him again with a raised eyebrow. “Thanks. I’ll be fine, just a fight with my boyfriend.” _

_ “Seemed like an intense fight,” he said nonchalantly, but Katara could hear the hidden worry. _

_ “We’ll be fine. Anyway, are you new here? I haven’t seen you around,” she asked him, hoping he would get the hint and stop talking about her stupid fight with Zuko.  _

_ “Yeah, just transferred from Southern Temple High. I’m Aang,” he responded, holding his hand out to her. _

_ “Katara.” She sat up and shook his hand. _

The day continued to pass in a haze, Katara grateful for her lunch period so she could hopefully gather her thoughts. She followed Aang, not really paying attention to where he was leading her. Her motions were robotic, moving through the line, grabbing a juice, following Aang through the lunch room, dropping into a seat at her usual table with her usual friends. They chattered around her, Katara staying unusually quiet until Suki snapped her fingers in front of her face. She jumped, bringing her attention back to the conversation.

“Kat, are you okay? You seem out of it today. Is it Sokka? I can talk to him if you want,” Suki offered, always ready to give her boyfriend a talking-to when he was messing with Katara. 

She shook her head, “Oh, no, nothing’s wrong, just a little tired, I guess. Speaking of Sokka, how are you two?” 

Katara breathed a sigh of relief when Suki took the bait. She knew that the older girl was always ready to gush about Sokka. With the voices of Aang, Suki, and Toph in the background, her eyes roamed around the room. She wasn’t sure what she was even looking for until she had already found it. Zuko was sitting with his sister and her friends, his arm thrown around Mai and lips incredibly close to her ear as he whispered something.

_ “You know, I’m so incredibly lucky,” he whispered in her ear, the noise of the lunchroom incredibly loud. She could hear Suki and Toph discussing some MMA fight that they had both watched. _

_ “Oh? And why’s that?” She already knew the answer; he told her all the time. _

_ “Because I have you.” _

She grabbed her juice, twisting the cap off and slamming it on the table with more force than she had meant to. Sip after sip, she reasoned with herself.  _ She  _ was the one to break off their relationship.  _ She  _ was the one who had chosen Aang over him. 

Her blue eyes slid over to study Aang’s side profile as he shoveled his salad into his mouth. He was kind. He got along with her friends, with her family. He treated her like she was the most perfect being to walk the planet. Why did she care that Zuko had someone new? In a snap decision, Katara decided she needed some air. She quickly excused herself, assuring Aang that she didn’t need any company multiple times, and stalked off towards the side doors that led to the grassy quad. With a huff, she sat down on the brick wall that separated the quad from the sidewalks that wind around the school. She wasn’t alone for long; Katara had to suppress a groan as she heard soft footsteps approach her from behind.

“Aang, I told you I didn’t want you to come with me,” she groaned, turning her torso to look at her boyfriend.

“Not Aang,” Zuko told her as he made his way to sit next to her, her blue eyes following his movements.

“Can I help you?” Katara asked the pale boy, not even bothering to hide the coldness in her tone.

He flinched just the smallest amount before responding, his voice soft. “You were doing that scratching thing you do when you’re upset when you left. I wanted to see if you were alright.”

Katara’s eyebrows shot up, her cold demeanor cracking slightly. “I don’t scratch when I’m upset,” she insisted. 

Zuko let out an unexpected bark of laughter that only made Katara’s frown deeper. “You don’t, huh? Then what are you doing right there?” He pointed to where her fingers were absentmindedly scratching against her other hand. As soon as she realized that he was right, Katara stopped, crossing her arms in indignation. 

“Nah, but really, Tara, are you okay? Is something bothering you?” He asked her after a moment.

Her heart stuttered. “Don’t call me Tara, Zee. You shouldn’t.” Katara barely recognized her own voice. It was so strained, so tired.

“Why can’t I?” Katara almost flinched at how vulnerable he sounded. 

“Yeah,  _ Tara,  _ why can’t he?” A voice spit out behind them. 

They whirled around. Aang. Katara’s mouth kept opening and closing as she wracked her mind for an explanation. She was taking too long to find one. 

“Because she broke up with me. For you,” Zuko said finally, venom laced in his words.

At Zuko’s words, Aang tilted his chin up haughtily. “Yeah, she did. Katara, let’s go.”

He turned and walked away, not even glancing back to see if Katara was following because he knew she would be. And she was. She tossed a grateful look over her shoulder at Zuko. He looked at the ground in response.

Once they were back inside the building, Aang pulled her into an empty classroom. He turned to look at her, his anger coming off in waves. “What was that all about?”

“It was nothing!” Katara rushed out. “He must have followed me out there, but I didn’t want him to be there. I swear!”

Aang immediately deflated. “I should’ve known that he just followed you without you knowing. Of course, you wouldn’t want him there; you dumped him. I’m sorry for getting so mad.”

Katara just nods and accepts Aang’s hug when he wraps her in his arms. Naturally, he’d forgive her so quickly; Aang thinks she hung the moon.

-

On Friday, Katara bombed her math test. She tried not to let it get to her, but every time she closed her eyes, she could see all the stupid questions she couldn’t answer. As she made her way out of her third period, she focused on the fact that she had secured extra credit work to make up for the test. The lunchroom was a welcome distraction; the shrieks of laughter, the yells of good natured arguments, the hum of the fluorescent lights. She threw herself into the conversations at her table, refusing to let her mind drift to her failure. On one of the few occasions her eyes roamed around the room, she found herself meeting eyes with Zuko. Without breaking eye contact, Zuko scratched at his own hand, jostling Mai who was leaning against him. She looked down, noticing for the first time that her fingernails had scratched her skin red. Katara moved her hands under her thighs to stop them from scratching. She looks up again, finding Zuko’s golden eyes still on her, so she nods at him almost imperceptibly. They both look away.

“Hey, Sugar Queen,” Toph called to her, Katara rolling her eyes at the nickname. “How was Pakku’s math test? I’ve gotta take it sixth period.”

Katara laughed nervously, “Uh, it was tough. Don’t think I did too well, to be honest. He put a lot of questions from chapter seven though.” Her nails found skin again. She didn’t try to stop them.

“Well, shit. If you bombed it, then I’m doomed,” Toph groaned out. 

“I’m sure Katara didn’t actually bomb it, Toph. Right?” Aang said, directing his question to Katara.

Immediately, Katara could feel a subtle anger bleed into her veins. She didn’t want to be angry at Aang, but she was. She  _ did  _ actually bomb the test because she didn’t have enough time to study up to chapter seven, and she didn’t have enough time because she lost three hours of study time to Aang’s audition that he begged her to go to. Also, how could Aang just assume she actually did well even though she said she didn’t? Katara could feel herself getting angrier as she thought more and more about how Aang assumed she couldn’t do anything wrong, that she was this perfect girl who never messed up.

“ _ Actually _ , Aang, I did bomb it. I couldn’t answer half the questions cause I didn’t know how to answer them. Why didn’t I know how to answer them? Because I didn’t have enough time to study because you dragged me to your audition!” It all came out of her mouth so fast that she didn’t have time to edit her words. The hurt immediately registered on Aang’s face. 

“Sorry, Katara. I thought you were over exaggerating how poorly you did. I can’t imagine you ever bombing a test; you’re so smart.”

That really set her off. “Spirits, Aang! You act like I can do no wrong, that I’m absolutely perfect, but it’s not true!”

“Katara,” he said softly. “But you are perfect.”

All the fight went out of her. How could she be mad at Aang? He thought she was perfect. What more could she want? She kept her eyes on Aang; she could feel Zuko looking at her. Aang was looking at her with sad grey eyes and she was the one who made him sad. “I’m sorry, Aang. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad. I think I’m just really worked up about failing the test.”

Aang grinned, “It’s okay. Let’s just forget about it.”

She nodded, still refusing to meet the golden eyes across the lunchroom. Suki and Toph were awkwardly sitting across from her, both of them just quietly messing with their food. Katara exhaled, “So, what are you guys doing this weekend?”

_ “Hey, Tara? You okay?” Zuko asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. _

_ “Huh? Oh, yeah,” she said airily, but with the way Zuko was looking at her, she knew she didn’t convince him. He raised an eyebrow as if to say “Now, tell me the truth.” _

_ She started scratching at her hand. “It’s nothing. Really, Zee.” Maybe if she said it more insistently, he would believe her. _

_ He eyed her before turning to Toph and Suki. “Hey, Katara and I are going to go get some air,” he told them, his cheeks going red as Toph teased him about sneaking off with his girlfriend to make out. _

_ “Whatever, Toph,” Zuko said with a smile and a shake of his head. “Don’t miss us too much.” At that, he snagged his jacket off the back of his chair in one hand and Katara’s hand in the other. The pair made their way outside and sat on the grass, Zuko never letting go of her. After they got comfortable, Zuko spoke. “Spill. What’s wrong?” _

_ “I’ve just had a really bad day so far,” she told him, her voice thin. Zuko stayed silent. “I’ve had tests or quizzes all day and I’m pretty sure I bombed all of them.”  _

_ “Katara, you know that’s okay, right? You don’t have to ace everything; it’s okay to just try your best,” he said gently after a moment. “You don’t have to be perfect. Not with your grades, not with your friends, not with your family, and especially not with me. I know you’re not perfect, and I want to be with you just the same.” _

_ Katara immediately slumped down; it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “You know, I don’t think anyone’s ever told me I didn’t have to be perfect. I got so many perfect scores that it’s what everyone expected. Even my family. I’m supposed to be the “smart one” between me and Sokka. He was the people person, the one who could make anything work. Sokka’s strong and funny. He knows exactly who he is; I don’t think I know who I am other than the perfect, smart one.” _

_ Silence washed over them, Katara staring at where her hand connected to Zuko’s, where his thumb was rubbing hers soothingly. Zuko took a deep breath before speaking. “Tara, you’re the kind of person who would go to the ends of the earth for a complete stranger. You never turn your back on people who need you. You want to be a doctor. You love to dance in the rain. You stop to pet every dog you see. You’re headstrong. You love your family more than humanly possible. You learned braille, learned sign language. Hell, you learned morse code, just so you would be able to communicate with anyone and everyone. You hate how my motorcycle messes up your hair, but you still get on it. It’s okay if you don’t know who you are. It’s okay because I’ll be here to remind you.” _

_ Katara looked at him, her blue eyes stinging with tears. His eyes were cast downwards, so she reached out with her unoccupied land and cupped his jaw. She turned his face gently, making him look at her. “Thank you, Zuko. Really.” She leaned forward and kissed him softly. Afterwards, Katara leaned against Zuko, the couple sitting in comfortable silence until lunch was over. _

-

That weekend, Katara declined all offers to make plans, claiming she had to study. In reality, she wanted to spend the weekend to herself to think. She doesn’t want to admit that Zuko getting a new girlfriend sparked this need to think, but she would be lying to herself if she hadn’t. 

Katara sat at her desk, trying to avoid thinking of Zuko while she reorganized. Currently, she was going through old papers she wrote for her english class, deciding that she would only keep the best ones and recycle the rest when a stray piece of paper caught her eye. She separated it from the stack and set her papers aside. Katara snorted once she realized what it was. ‘Pros and Cons of Dating Zuko.’ She scanned the paper, shaking her head at how she thought she could solve her relationship turmoil with a simple pro-con list. As if her and Zuko could be simplified. 

Katara pushed away from her desk, taking herself and the list to her bed. Lying on her stomach, she considered the items she had written. Pro: he knew her better than anyone. If Katara was truly honest with herself, he still knew her better than anyone. He knew her better than Aang, and they’ve been together as long as her and Zuko had been. The more she thought about how little Aang really knew her, the more she realized that Aang had never really tried to get to know her. Katara had no doubt in her mind that Aang liked her, but what part of her did he even like? Everything he knew about her came from stories told by Suki or Toph; she couldn’t recall them ever sitting down and really  _ learning  _ about each other. 

She went back to the list. Con: their fights were as heated as a city on fire. By the time they had broken up, they had only been in two fights, both about Zuko meeting her family. He would drag his feet, telling her that her family would hate him, but Katara kept pushing for it. The more she thought about their arguments, the more she realized that she was being inconsiderate to Zuko’s feelings. Hindsight, she mused, really opens your eyes. Aang and her never fought. Any time they got mad at each other, they immediately folded and apologized. To be honest, Katara was scared to get into a full blown argument with Aang; she was scared that if she showed Aang how angry she could get, he would leave her for not living up to his perfect princess image. She let out a little laugh. She was never scared of Zuko running from her anger. If anything, they embraced each other’s anger, letting the fire burn before snuffing it out together. She liked that about him.

“Ugh, I think I made a mistake,” Katara groaned out, rolling onto her back and throwing her arm over her eyes. She jumped as there was a light knock on her door, saying a soft “Come in” as she sat upright.

“Hey,” her mother said as she stepped into the room. Her curly hair was pulled back in a bun, a worn sweatshirt wrapped around her. “I could hear you thinking from the living room. Are you okay?” Her mom made her way over to Katara’s bed, perching on the edge.

“I think I messed up, Mom. Like, majorly,” She groaned, flopping forward and shoving her face into her comforter.

“How did you majorly mess up?” Her mom’s hand dropped on top of her head, her fingers lightly carding through the curls.

“IbrokeupwithZukoforAangandIthinkImadeamistakebecauseIdon’tthinkIactuallylikeAangthatmuchandImissZukobuthe’sgotagirlfriendnowandI’mafool,” she rushed out, her words also hindered by the soft blue comforter her face was pressed into.

A soft laugh escaped her mother’s lips as she tapped Katara’s head twice. “Maybe take your face out of the blanket and slow down, darling.”

Katara groaned loudly into the comforter before sitting up again, her legs crossed in front of her. “I broke up with Zuko for Aang, and I think I made a mistake, because I don’t think I actually like Aang that much, and I miss Zuko, but he’s got a girlfriend now, and I’m a fool.” The sentence was still rushed but it was much easier for her mom to understand what she said.

Her mom hummed as she thought. “Well, I think the first thing you have to do is break up with Aang. If you don’t actually like him, you shouldn’t lead him on.”

Katara nodded sadly. “I just feel so bad about breaking up with him. He’s been a perfect boyfriend this past month.”

“He can be the perfect boyfriend, and you could still be unhappy. Relationships aren’t as clear cut as you think they may be. As for Zuko, that’s a decision that you’ll have to make for yourself. You can either tell him how you feel, or you can just let sleeping dogs lay,” Kya said, reaching forward to take Katara’s hand.

Katara sighed, “I’ll think on it, but I’ve got to break up with Aang today. I can’t do anything about Zuko until that’s done. Is it alright if I go out for a little bit?”

“Of course, darling. Be safe,” her mom told her, standing to leave, dropping a kiss to the top of Katara’s head beforehand.

After her mom left the room, Katara sat on her bed a moment longer. With a sigh, she scrounged her phone out of her bedside drawer. She shot off a simple “Can we meet at the park?” text to Aang, not even needing to wait five minutes before he responded with a “See you there!” Katara slipped on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and rushed out the door, calling a quick good-bye to her mom. As she walked to the park, she began creating a break-up speech and working up her nerves. Arriving at the park, Katara was relieved to see that she arrived before Aang. She chose a shaded bench and waited for another few minutes before she spotted Aang arriving on the opposite end of the park. Her heart jumped to her throat, anxiety in her veins. He jogged over, sitting down on the bench next to her.

“Hey,” he said breezily. “What’s up?”

“I want to break-up,” She rushed out. The smile on Aang’s face dropped, but Katara continued talking before she lost all of her nerve. “I know it sounds cliche, but it’s really not your fault. You’ve been nothing but kind and amazing, but I can’t stay in this relationship anymore. I’m so sorry, Aang. Really.”

Aang was silent for a few moments, looking at his hands, before meeting Katara’s eyes. She flinched at the cold steel staring at her. “It’s because of him, isn’t it?” His voice was as cold as his eyes.

She sighed. “Partially. I  _ do  _ miss him, but our relationship was doomed from the start. You saw me as perfect, and I need someone who can recognize my flaws. I was always so scared of ruining the image you had of me that it eventually became suffocating. I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Aang stood abruptly, his motions jilted and robotic. “I’m going home now. Good-bye, Katara.”

“Bye, Aang,” she said softly, his back already turned to her.

She stayed on the bench, just wanting to sit in silence and think. After a long while, she finally stood, and to her surprise, she felt lighter. The pressure of always being perfect and kind and smart for Aang had been lifted off her shoulders. As she walked home, she realized that she couldn’t go home yet. She needed to tell Zuko how she felt now before it got around that she broke up with Aang for a boy with a girlfriend. Her steps got faster, moving quickly in the direction of the Jasmine Dragon. When she was only a block away, she fumbled for her phone, pressing the contact that had never left her favorites.

“Tara?” The voice on the other end rasped.

“I broke up with Aang,” she told him quickly. 

“What?” Her heart skipped a beat; did he just sound happy at her news?

“I broke up with Aang,” she repeated, a smile creeping onto her face as she finally reached the tea shop. 

She stopped and looked through the large windows on the storefront. There he was, standing in the center of the room, green uniform on and phone pressed to his ear. He looked up. Gold eyes met blue. Her heart stopped. In one quick motion, he hung up and slipped the phone into his pocket. She did the same. He slowly walked to the front door and opened it, his body stopping in the doorway. 

“Tara,” he breathed out, sounding like he couldn’t quite believe she was there.

“I broke up with Aang.” At this point, she wasn’t sure she knew any other words.

Zuko rushed forward, grabbing her face with both hands and kissing her. Katara could feel the unspoken words through every movement of their lips. _ I missed you, I missed you, I missed you. _

_ “I had fun today,” Katara told Zuko as they meandered up to her house, hands swinging between them. “We should do it again sometime.” _

_ “I was thinking the same thing,” he said with a light laugh. “I’ll text you?” _

_ Katara nodded, a smile playing on her lips. “I’ll reply.” Zuko grinned before turning, beginning his trek to The Jasmine Dragon. “See you tomorrow, Zee,” she called. _

_ He spun around again, walking backwards. “Zee?” _

_ “Yeah. Zee.” _

_ Somehow, he grinned even wider. “See you tomorrow, Tara.” _

_ In a snap decision, Katara rushed off her porch and didn’t stop til she reached Zuko. She leaned up, kissing him softly once before turning to rush off again. However, Zuko had other plans. He snagged her wrist, turning her back to face him. He kissed her again, his hands moving to cup her face. _

_ “What was that for?” Katara asked afterwards, a hand reaching up to rest on Zukos..  _

_ “I couldn’t let you go with just one kiss.”  _

_ “You’re an idiot,” she laughed lightly, stepping away from him and making her way back to her house. _

_ “Your idiot,” he called after her. _

_ Katara smiled for the rest of the night. _

When they finally broke apart, foreheads rested against each other and Zuko’s hands still holding her face, Katara breathed out the question that she had been thinking since she realized she wanted Zuko back. “What about Mai?”

Zuko just laughed, “Mai’s not my girlfriend; she’s  _ Azula’s _ . They were tired of me moping all the time, so they hatched a plan. I pretend to date Mai, hopefully make you jealous, and I get you back. They’ll be happy to know it worked.”

“You’re an idiot,” Katara told him, a smile playing on her lips.

“Your idiot,” Zuko replied, leaning in to kiss her again.


End file.
